Mental conditioning specialist Paddy Upton will be working with India’s men’s hockey team

He played a vital role in leading the Indian national cricket team to victory in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, their first victory in 28 years.

New Delhi: Hockey India has enlisted the help of mental conditioning expert Paddy Upton to work closely with India’s men’s hockey team ahead of their campaign in the Hero Asian Champions Trophy and high-stakes Hangzhou Asian Games 2023, where the team will compete for direct Olympic qualification. The South African will conduct three-part mental conditioning sessions at the ongoing National Coaching Camp for Indian Men’s Core group in SAI, Bengaluru from July 1.

With an illustrious career in high performance coaching, Paddy brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the table. The Cape Town-based high-performance coach, author, speaker and professor has an extensive background in sports psychology and leadership coaching. With more than two decades of experience working with professional athletes and teams across a variety of sports, the 54-year-old mental conditioning coach has built an outstanding reputation for his ability to unlock individuals’ potential and foster a winning mindset within teams.

He played a vital role in leading the Indian national cricket team to victory in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, their first victory in 28 years. He also led the team to take first place in the Test rankings for the first time in history. His success continued as he contributed to the South African cricket team’s unprecedented achievement of simultaneously holding the world No. 1 ranking in all three formats of the game. Patrick has also worked with numerous T20 franchises.

In addition to cricket, Paddy has conducted mental training workshops for the South Africa Men’s Hockey Team, Australia Men’s Hockey Team, Indian Super League (ISL) sides FC Goa and FC Hyderabad, England Men’s Rugby Team and many other sports teams.

The president of the federation, Padma Shri Dr. Dilip Tirkey, expressed Hockey India’s commitment to leave no stone unturned in helping the teams prepare for this year’s Asian Games: “Hockey India wanted to make sure that absolutely nothing is missing from the team’s preparations for major tournaments. this year especially the Asian Games in China where the Olympic qualification is at stake. To help the team cope with the pressures and expectations to perform, we felt it was essential to invest in a mental conditioning expert. We are delighted that Paddy Upton is helping prepare the team for mental toughness. We recognize that this is an important area that needs attention ahead of major events and we are confident that Paddy’s expertise and guidance will greatly benefit our team.

Echoing Tirkey’s view, Shri Bholanath Singh, Secretary General of Hockey India said: “The biggest feedback we received from the coaching staff was improving the mental toughness of the team and we understand the pressure to live up to expectations compliance can be a challenge to deal with. Paddy is an expert in this field and we are delighted to have him on board as the team prepares for the Asian Games.”

Paddy shared his enthusiasm to work closely with the Indian men’s hockey team and said, “I am honored to be given this opportunity to partner with Hockey India and the Indian men’s hockey team. I have witnessed the tremendous growth of Indian Hockey in recent years and I am thrilled to contribute to the team’s success by improving their mental resilience and psychological skills. Together we will work to achieve the highest level of performance and excellence.”